


A Magical Experience

by HelloImOz



Category: All For the Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: (oh yeah and my friend's), Because it's Harry's birthday!!!, But I forgot to add Dan so it just said Matt, Hey do you think that tumblr about weird AO3 tags will post me on it?, I almost added Matt and Dan as a relationship, I too ship Matt, I'm honestly sorry for this fic's existence, M/M, The reader probably had a clearer vision for the plot of this than I do, This is really bad because I haven't proof-read whoops, This is the obligatory Harry Potter AU, Y'all I have no idea what to tag this as, ha this is awkward, i'm a mess, wait whoops someone else has already made the obligatory Hogwarts au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-31
Updated: 2016-07-31
Packaged: 2018-07-28 11:49:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7639060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HelloImOz/pseuds/HelloImOz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The obligatory Hogwarts AU</p><p>(or</p><p>Neil had been given two rules to follow growing up: don't draw attention to yourself and don't get attached. Coming to Hogwarts could mean breaking both of those rules.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Magical Experience

**Author's Note:**

  * For [HeavenlyDusk](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeavenlyDusk/gifts).



> Hey!!! Happy birthday, Anya!!! Honestly I'm just gonna write this whole notes thing to you and assume that no one else will click on this piece of garbage!!! I got a part of the fic done!! I'll probably finish it... probably. But yeah, this is absolute garbage and I tried to warn you but it really sucks. It's bad. I'm inconsistent with grammar and half the stuff that needs to be italicized probably wasn't and it's just bad. I'm sorry.

Neil took a deep breath as he stared up at the castle in front of him. This could only end terribly.

For as long as the brunet could remember, he had always known that should he end up at Hogwarts something had gone seriously, seriously wrong. And now, as he neared the entrance of the magical school step by step, he knew that something had. Neil's mother, his conscious, his trust, his partner-in-crime had died.

Neil tried to forget it. He really did try to ignore the odd sense of loneliness always surrounding him, the lack of a harsh voice with harsher remarks, but the ghost of his mother plagued his every moment. With each new home, new identity, new life, Neil began to wonder about his mom. How did she get so good at running? Why was she always so silent? How did she think that Neil would ever be able to stay away from Hogwarts?

He had been told that Hogwarts was a horrible place. It was full of children and ghosts and monsters and not meant for people like Neil. There were four houses that every student was sorted into. A long time ago, back when Neil was still with his father, it had been expected, no, required of him to join the Slytherin house. Slytherin was full of fancy, noble wizarding families that respected the Wesninski family.

The other three houses loathed the name. Neil agreed with them.

Neil's parents had both been Slytherin, but his mom, unlike his father, thought well of the other three houses. She had once told Neil that Ravenclaw was where all the smart, studious kids went. They enjoyed reading and learning and all things like that. The young boy couldn't imagine ever enjoying math class and so he decided that he would never be a Ravenclaw.

Next was Gryffindor, where all the bravest kids went. They were good at heart, his mom had said, but often they tended to be rather loud and obnoxious, constantly demanding attention. They were the rivals of Slytherin, always going out of their way to bicker and argue with the colder house. Whenever he got particularly excited as a young boy, Neil's mother would lean down and ruffle his hair and tell him that he was acting just like a Gryffindor.

Finally, there was Hufflepuff. Hufflepuff was a house of kindness, smiles, and loyalty. It was a house of peace and all things good. Hufflepuffs were always there for their friends and always happy to meet new people. The exact opposite of Slytherins, his mom explained. They were sunny, airy people with light pasts. They were everything Neil could never be.

Neil took a deep breath and finally approached the doors. They were huge and grand and he had no idea what to do. Before he could decide on how to approach this school, the gigantic doors swung open, revealing an equally massive corridor and a grumpy old balding man with a cat. The man scowled at him.

"Who're you and why are you here?" 

"I'm Neil Josten," the brunet said. The cat growled a little, narrowing its eyes as if it didn't quite believe him. "And I'm here to become a Hogwarts student."

The old man's eyes widened just a bit in shock. He looked Neil up and down, trying to determine if he was kidding or not. Upon finding no evidence of a joke in his form, the man looked down to his cat, who let out a brief meow. The man nodded, before motioning for Neil to follow him and heading into the corridor.

If the outside of Hogwarts was beautiful, then the inside was absolutely breath-taking. All the light came from dripping candles in lanterns attached to the walls. The stone walls were tall and littered with moving paintings of smiling faces. Each and every face pulled a confused expression when they saw the Hogwarts caretaker leading a strange young man in. Then some of the figures drifted through the portraits to whisper amongst themselves.

Soon enough the three reached a grand dining hall full of people. There were four tables, each with a different banner hanging above them. Students were whooping and cheering as young children left from where they were sitting on a stool in the middle of the hall to join the various tables. There were candles floating near the ceiling, which showed the stars and the night sky above the castle. The scene radiated happiness and as he looked around the room, there didn't appear to be a single person who felt out of place. Neil almost smiled.

Then a blond Hufflepuff caught his eye. The boy was about his age, maybe a little younger. His eyes were hazel, his skin pale. He would've been completely insignificant, except for the fact that he wasn't smiling. Everyone else Neil could see had a huge grin on their face, and this boy looked emotionless, even his gaze was apathetic. He didn't even seem interested in the stranger at the entrance.

And then he looked away and Neil focused back on the rest of the room to find many more eyes on him than he remembered.

The old man began trudging forwards, walking through the cleared pathway between the Ravenclaw and Hufflpuff tables. Neil followed him, slowly gaining everyone in the room's attention. The entire vibe suddenly changed, going from a warm atmosphere of love and acceptance to one of a cold need to know who this newcomer was. The brunet kept his head tilted downwards, desperately hoping that everyone would forget about him.

Once the limping, grouchy man got to the front of the room he headed straight for the person sat in the middle of the table. He's the headmaster, Neil realized, Albus Dumbledore. Dumbledore was a man who looked older than most could ever hope to be. He had a long gray beard that touched the floor and even longer hair. The headmaster was wearing w purple robe with yellows stars and swirls embroidered into it. There was a slight sparkle to it, almost as if he stole some of the night sky and made it into his outfit, and it matched the twinkle in his eyes.

The two old men whispered back and forth to each other. They both glanced back at Neil and their expressions were night and day. The scowling old man who had led him all this way continued to frown at the brunet, making him sure that there was no way he'd be let into the one last place where he could be safe. However, with a look to Dumbledore, Neil suddenly wasn't so sure. 

Dumbledore smiled at him, radiating absolute pleasure. Neil could've taken him for an old soul just willing to express kindness, but his eyes said different. The headmaster's eyes were deep and swirling and somehow Neil could tell with just a brief look at them that Dumbledore knew who he was and what exactly he was running from. Yet, the old man's eyes still whispered, Stay. We will keep you for as long as you need. Stay here at Hogwarts.

Neil was absolutely terrified.

He steeled his expression into a neutral one. If he showed any hint of fear right now then certainly he wouldn't last a night in this school. He needed everyone to ignore him, to merely scan right by him, to not even notice his face amongst all the others here. If he showed any emotion as he stared down the Hogwarts headmaster immediately after making a rather dramatic entrance then he would be through. After all, Neil didn't even have to quickly glance to his left to know that sitting there at the Slytherin table was bound to be the heirs to the most dangerous wizarding families in the world.

Neil wondered if he was here, the only friend he could ever remember having.

Before Neil could think about it much longer, Dumbledore stood from his seat. Immediately half the hall stopped what they were doing to look at their headmaster. He clasped his hands together and waited for all the whispers to die out before speaking.

"Tonight is a night meant for welcoming newcomers of all different types," he began. He never truly focused on one spot in particular, but it always seemed like he was speaking directly to one person. Everyone felt as though they were being personally addressed. 

"Here at Hogwarts we believe everyone should get a shot at being embraced with open arms. Whether they end up in Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, or Gryffindor, they are all a part of this school. We teach them our traditions and our history and our spells and what it means to be a wizard. Hogwarts is a home to everyone of all ages, whether you be a wide-eyed first year or a loud-mouthed seventh year Hogwarts is always willing to be your home." This line was met with a bout of applause and some hollering from the older teenagers. "And so, it is with that message that I welcome Neil Josten to our sorting ceremony."

Suddenly the hall was silent. Every single person froze in their place and stared at Neil. He could feel his mother's ghost about to swat him. Growing up there had only been two rules: Don't get attached and don't draw attention to yourself. Coming to Hogwarts could mean breaking both of those rules.

Neil swallowed and made his way to the back of the line of eleven year olds waiting to be sorted.

Suddenly the silence was broken by a Gryffindor girl standing and clapping. She had dark skin, short hair, and a wide, welcoming smile. The boy next to her stood and cheered with her, and slowly the entire table joined in. The Hufflepuffs began shouting welcomes and the Ravenclaws politely clapped. Even some Slytherins cheered.

Eventually all the fuss died down and the sorting ceremony continued on. A good amount of first years still had to go, and then Neil was going to have to face the sorting hat. His mother had told him many times what was supposed to happen, but knowing that didn't make the experience any less scary to think of. A curiosity burned in his heart though. 

The line shrunk as more and more kids were sorted. Soon enough it was Neil's turn on the stool. He sat down, took a quick breath and yanked the hat down onto his head. Darkness surrounded him, shielding him from all his new peers though he didn't consciously close his eyes. Suddenly a voice rang out.

"Neil Josten?" It asked, sounding suspicious. Neil began to panic. What if the hat announced his identity to everyone? Surely he'd be kicked out of Hogwarts and then someone would tell the Ministry and the Daily Prophet.

"Relax. I won't share anything that doesn't need to be shared, Nathaneil." Then the rough, deep voice inside his head chuckled. "You're just like your father. I know you don't want to hear it, but you belong in Slytherin."

Before he could help it, a loud "No!" ripped out of his throat. Neil heard it echo through his mind, and the voice laughed again. It sounded condescending, as if Neil was a child that was out of place. "Please, don't put me in Slytherin." All of his dad's men and their sons and daughters flashed through his head. "They're all going to be there. They'll know me. I can't have that happen."

The hat was silent for a second, before making a humming sort of noise. It sounded like an agreement and Neil's heart stopped racing. He began to think through which house would be least likely to hold students that would recognize him. 

Ravenclaw students would probably be able to put it together eventually if they were half as smart as his mom made them out to be. There was no way that any of the wizards who celebrated Nathan Wesninski were in Gryffindor, but Gryffindors were always too loud and drew too much attention to themselves. Other students would notice Neil and that was risky in itself. The only other option was Hufflepuff, the house of the meek and the kind.

"So you want to be a Hufflepuff, kid? You?" Neil answered affirmatively. He could feel the Sorting Hat's resistance. "You'd be a much better fit in another house--"

"Please," Neil begged. The Hat sighed.

"If you wish."

And then the world was bright and Neil could see the entirety of Hogwarts' student body. He could hear all the rustling from the different tables and smell the food spread through the room. He could watch the everyone's face when they heard the announcement.

"Hufflepuff!" The Hat cried. A loud cheer was heard from the table with the yellow and black banner above it. As Neil walked to a vacant seat his new housemates patted him on the back and congratulated him. They offered him smiles and support and instantly treated him like one of them. Neil had never felt so out of place in his life.

He wandered down the table, reaching the very end before finding a seat. Everyone else seemed to be squishing together, touching each other's sides and slinging arms around their shoulders. Neil couldn't imagine a smiling figure grabbing his scar-covered sides without wincing, and so he searched the entire table until finding a seat next to people who weren't hanging off one another.

Neil sat down without looking at whoever was surrounding him. He didn't need to make friends. Don't get attached. Friends were not something people like Neil got to have.

The only time Neil spoke that night was when asking for food to be passed to him. It had been years since he had a meal so filling. Usually he ate fast food or whatever the cheapest and quickest option was. The experience of sitting down and eating a good meal made all his instincts go haywire, but was overall pleasant. Neil could live with this.

After dinner, Dumbledore caught him and told Neil that he would be given a placement test of sorts to determine whether he'd have to start from first year or if he could join in with the students his age. Neil nodded and hoped that his mother's self-defense lessons would be enough to get him to at least third year. Then he was dismissed to follow the rest of the Hufflepuffs to their common room, where he was given many offers to help with anything and everything. 

A girl with white hair that had streaks of pastels at the end showed him to his dorm. She told him she was a sixth year, but she knew most of the fifth years that he'd be rooming with. Neil learned that her name was Renee and that she was from some small town in Scotland, despite her posh accent.

She stopped him just in front of the door. "Oh, yeah," Renee said, still smiling sweetly. "These guys might be a little tough at first, but you'll like them eventually. Probably." Before Neil could ask what that meant, she had spun him around and shoved him into the room.

The first thing Neil saw of his new living quarters was a frowning blond with bored hazel eyes.


End file.
